The Origin of the Gravekeepers
by Deceitful Mage
Summary: This is the story of an Ancient Civilization


This is the story of an ancient civilization known as the Gravekeeper's. All that is known about the whereabouts of these people is that they reside in what is known as Necrovalley (roughly translated, Valley of the Dead).  
  
For years people have searched so as to know more of these people. Right when it appears that an expedition may be close to solving the mystery, they disappear and are never heard from again. Some say that those who vanished were captured by the Gravekeepers and sacrificed to their God. Others say that they just fell down a cliff or something.  
  
Within the narrow reaches of Necrovalley, the first of many Gravekeepers resides. If you would be so lucky (or unlucky) as to find the Valley of the Dead, you will have to pass the Guards of this valley. They are by far the largest of the Gravekeepers and so are used as the first line of defense.  
  
The Chief of the Gravekeepers is said to be the strongest of them all. They do not hold elections or vote for the Chief; this honor is only bestowed upon those of the Sacred family. It is said that the Chief has the power of Resurrection; meaning he may bring the dead back to life.  
  
Others also do a form of this resurrection but in a different way. They hold what has become known as the Rite of Spirit. It is the ritual held by lower level Gravekeepers so as to bring the dead to life in times of need.  
  
The Gravekeepers have created an army of overwhelming strength. This army consists of Gravekeepers highly skilled with spears and swords/daggers. They have become known as the Spear Soldier and the Assailant. Both of these vicious warriors can easily take out anyone with lightening quick moves and special tactics. Also included in this army is what has become known as the Cannonholders. The Cannonholders will shoot anything (including other Gravekeepers) at opposing forces.  
  
Since the Gravekeepers don't socialize with the outside world, they rely on the Spy. The job of the Spy essentially is just to find out anything and everything and then report directly back to the Chief every two weeks.  
  
In the case of enemy attacks, the GK Watcher sits up top the valley and will warn another Watcher if an outsider approaches.  
  
Other lower level Gravekeepers include the Vassal and Curse. The Gravekeepers Curse specializes in the minor dark arts never fully becoming anything to fear. And the Vassals are merely obedient servants to the Chief.  
  
Upon capture of enemy forces, the Gravekeepers take their prisoner to an underground room, which has been rightfully called the Dark Room of Nightmare. After the prisoner has been tormented to near death, the Gravekeepers shall take the person to their God, the Guardian Sphinx. This ritualistic act is known as Royal Tribute.  
  
This is the story of the Gravekeepers. The Gravekeeper's Chief~  
The Chief is the fourth person in his family to be chief of the Gravekeepers. It is said that in times of heavy war within a tribe, that any Gravekeepers unfortunate to lose their life either protecting him or the tribe, he rewards with the gift of resurrection.  
The father of this particular chief was slain by his most trusted Vassal. It appeared that the vassal stole a spear from a sleeping guard and slit the throat of the sleeping father. The one thing that has been cursed upon all children of the Sacred family, from the first born to the last buried, is the curse of never-ending slumber. This essentially means that anyone related to the Sacred family will never be resurrected.  
And so this meant that the current chief had to take his place at a much younger age than ever before. This has been considered a good thing because this meant that the Chief had not yet been corrupted by his elders and so was able to bring a new order to his Tribe.  
  
The Gravekeeper's Guard~  
The Gravekeeper Guards (as said above) are the largest of Gravekeepers standing an average of seven feet, two inches in height. The Guards are posted at nearly every possible entrance into Necrovalley as to stop intruders from, well, intruding.  
When a person(s) arrives at Necrovalley, a few things may occur. Firstly, the Guard may refuse the person(s) admittance and send him/her on their way. If the person(s) becomes annoying persistent, the Guard is given permission to "dispose" of the person(s).  
If, however, the person(s) can give a possibly good reason for their wanting to enter the valley, the Guard is required to escort the visitor to one of the Chief's Vassals who will then take the person(s) to the Chief.  
  
The Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier~  
At age ten, all children attend classes that determine which skill they are best adapted to. Those chosen to become Spear Soldiers have many qualities that make them perfect at what they do. Firstly, a Spear Soldier must have keen eyesight, impeccable aim, and the ability to throw spears across long distances.  
In battle, Spear Soldiers are usually stationed at the front so as to take out as many attackers as possible from as far away as possible. When it comes to close range combat, the Spear Soldiers come at a disadvantage. But don't count them out yet. After being trained to hurl their spears with great accuracy, the Spear Soldiers are trained to use their spear as a weapon.  
  
The Gravekeeper's Assailant~  
At age ten, all children attend classes that determine which skill they are best adapted to. Those chosen to become Assailants have many qualities that make them perfect at what they do. After being chosen, the Assailant is cut off from the rest of the Gravekeeper community. The reason for this is that to fully train the Assailants, they must learn to trust only themselves.  
The Assailant's go through vigorous training sessions in which they are pushed to the very limit of there endurance. Than, they are pushed one step closer to near exhaustion at which time the training is over for that day. It is then restarted at 5 o' clock the following morning.  
In combat, the Assailant is the last thing you would want to run into. Having mastered the sword, the Assailant will easily diminish anyone in his/her path within a reasonable amount of time.  
  
The Gravekeeper's Spy~  
At age ten, all children attend classes that determine which skill they are best adapted to. Those chosen to become Spies have many qualities that make them perfect at what they do. The Spy is probably the most mysterious of all Gravekeepers. This is due to the fact that most information concerning them is through mouth and so all that is known is secondhand. Spies must be extremely stealthy since they are to roam among outsiders without being detected.  
The Spies are the Gravekeepers main connection to the outside world. Every two weeks, Spies come in from all over to report what they have learned directly to the Chief. Afterward, the Spies rest for one day before returning to wherever they have been assigned to. 


End file.
